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Lagoon 450S Catamaran Review: Interior & Cockpit

lagoon 450s SalonThe Living Space plus button

We’ve all heard the term “floating condo” used for these big-volume cats. That may be true, but what space! We love how much live-able space we have on our boat, inside and out! The contemporary accommodations and furnishings is designed by the Italian interior specialists Nauta Yachts.

The overall design maximizes space and adds small touches that makes the interior feel and appear very luxurious, e.g., the indirect lighting, a “hideaway” cabinet for the flat-screen TV, soft-close drawers and lockers, a washing machine with a nice adjoining hamper, and island beds to name a few.

plus minus legendThe furniture is well designed and finished. The Alpi teak wood finish that we chose (the other available option is light oak), is a rich warm color and made of reconstituted wood. The quality finishes are evident also in the hardware such as the door handles, door catches, and sliding door trim. It has all the characteristics of an elegant luxury yacht.

Master Stateroom  plus button

lagoon 450s Owners cabinOur master stateroom is huge, yet elegant and very comfortable. It has lots of storage, hanging closets, and a queen size walk-around or island bed that is long enough for a tall guy like Stephen, who is 6′ 5″ tall. It is REALLY luxurious compared to any boat I have owned or live aboard before. At first I thought it to be a little overkill, but the longer I live in it, the more I enjoy the space. It also has a privacy door that closes the entire master suite off from the rest of the boat. When you entertain as much as we do and work on board, this is a really nice feature. It gives us privacy and our own haven when we need it.

With Stephen’s height, headroom is a big deal for him and this cat has plenty of headroom throughout the boat including inside the cabins and in the heads. He is absolutely delighted that he finally doesn’t feel like a giant in an anthill anymore! Not feeling completely cramped for space and headroom is a luxury for people who live-aboard, so we are very pleased with this arrangement.

I have my office set up on my desk in the master suite. It is very comfortable and big enough to house my Main bathroombig monitor, laptop, printer, and scanner. The big plus is that it has space for a comfortable office chair instead of a little stool. I spend a lot of time down there working, so having space for my office chair is wonderful. I opted for more storage cabinets instead of a settee and I am glad that I did. But even without that extra storage, the cabin has more storage than I need.

We converted our silent flush electric toilets (my only must-have upgrade) to be able to use either the fresh or saltwater flush. We prefer fresh water flush, which virtually completely eliminates any smell in the boat. Being able to convert to be able to use either supply, we have the option to use saltwater if we have to preserve the fresh water supply. The shower stall is humungous and the bathroom is well ventilated. In the separate bathroom stall, there is enough storage for a big linen closet and separate towel closet, besides the usual medicine cabinets. It’s absolutely great!

OfficeMaster Stateroom Could be better

The only thing that can be a little annoying is the creaky floorboards, but that is typical of production sailboats.

Guest Cabins plus button

The guest cabins are both a good size. The back cabin is slightly bigger with a walk-around bed and could easily have been the master cabin. I have laundry set up in the forward cabin and what a luxury! Laundry has been the bane of my life on board for more years than I care to remember. The Splendid washer unit is small, but efficient. I do a small load every 3 or 4 days to avoid a big washday. When at anchor, we run the watermaker and generator (which is in the chest locker in the forward cockpit and extremely quiet) during the wash cycle and it keeps up nicely. The guest bathrooms are a nice size, each with a separate bathroom and shower stall.

Guest Cabins Could be better

Given the choice, I would have preferred two bathroom stalls and a shared shower stall (Jack & Jill style). That would have allowed a lot more space in the guest cabins and bathrooms. But I do understand that everyone prefers their own bathrooms and showers so this is not a deal breaker.

Galley & Saloon plus button

Galley 2The galley has more than enough space and storage. The U-shaped galley is well-laid-out withWasher dryerstorage overhead, under the cabinets, under the settee, and in the floor (our wine cellar). The work surfaces are wide and offer ample space for several people to do prep at the same time. The microwave/convection oven is built-in and in a convenient space at eye level – very nice when at sea. The stovetop, oven, and sinks are all well placed. The sliding door to the cockpit provides good ventilation.

All in all, the galley is a great layout and fits all the criteria for my ideal galley. The fridge and freezer are a nice size.

The counter space right around the saloon is great to keep knick-knacks, books, baskets for fruits and vegetables, etc. The settee is comfortable and the dining table is interchangeable with the cockpit coffee table. The TV slides down into a concealed locker.

The concealed lighting as well as the overhead lighting are LED lights with fans in either side of the saloon.The panoramic windows make for beautiful views and the forward opening windows are wonderful for ventilation. We ordered the curtains which look elegant and work great to keep the saloon cool. The saloon and galley are well designed with very good use of space.

Galley & Saloon Could be better

Chart tableThe wide galley countertops and big dinner table take a lot of space in the saloon and makes the it feel slightly cramped. However, I prefer that over the smaller counter space and less storage on the Flybridge version…there’s always a compromise! The garbage can is outside in a nice separate locker. It is nice that you don’t have garbage inside the cabin, however, when you prepare food inside and need the garbage can, you need to step outside to use it. Very annoying! So I will probably have a small garbage can fitted inside.

Interior Navigation Station plus button

We really like the big, dedicated forward-looking navigation station inside the boat that doubles as Stephen’s office. We set up a dedicated laptop to download weather reports, send/receive emails, house our logbook, and use our charting programs. BUT this is also where he works on Catamaran Guru business daily. It’s a nice size and there is enough space to have a proper office chair with a backrest, which is awesome. We have our Ipad mounted here and connected to the B&G WiFi network that doubles as a repeater for the chart plotter upstairs.

Aft & Forward Cockpit Areas And Scoops  plus button

CockpitI absolutely love both the forward and aft cockpits. I did not think that we would use the forward cockpit as much. And frankly, I thought it was a bit of a gimmick. But I found out Lagoon 450 S Forward cockpitthat it is a really nice feature. In fact, I am so impressed that I may fit a removable fold-up table to have dinners up forward in the cockpit! The aft cockpit is very spacious and comfortable and is probably my most favorite part of the boat besides the master cabin!

The huge sliding doors from the saloon and galley open up to the cockpit, which makes this one huge indoor/outdoor space and having the spacious cockpit, makes up for the “cramped” saloon area. It is absolutely great for entertaining (something we do a lot of).

I chose a coffee table for the cockpit instead of the big dining table, which is very easy to switch out with the big dining table. However, with the coffee table arrangement, the aft cockpit becomes a huge open outdoor saloon! The bimini over the cockpit is substantial and extends over the entire cockpit.

All the seating in the cockpit is covered by the Bimini and does not get wet when it rains. That’s a really nice feature, having lived on a boat with a Bimini just slightly too small and always having wet cushions inside the cockpit. We had the factory fit the Bimini shades which not only cool the entire boat down, but also provide privacy without blocking the breeze. We love everything about this area.

Aft & Forward Cockpit Areas And Scoops Could be better

The only negative about the aft cockpit is the absence of a cockpit fridge and there is no easy place to fit it in the SporTop version. The Flybridge version has a great outdoor “bar counter” with a fridge and icemaker fitted underneath. Unfortunately, the semi-raised helm position takes up that space. We will eventually have a fridge fitted, but for now we use the built-in cooler for drinks but it is not very efficient. Meanwhile, we have a domestic counter top icemaker that works great, so no need to fit an expensive icemaker.

Conclusion

The Lagoon 450S is a great live-aboard boat! It is fast, safe, and has enough living space to be comfortable. Also read our review of the Lagoon 450S: Exterior, Design, Construction & Sailing Ability.

Walk-through Video of the Saloon

Walk-through Video of the Master Suite

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